how to dry age

[Ioanna]

i was reading about how to dry-age meat. some like to wrap meat in cloth that is replaced daily, some just leave the meat to air dry. 

i've just been leaving my meat on a wire rack in the fridge, but wondered if anyone wraps in cloth?

[wodgina]

racks best.

[Ioanna]

i think i'm going to try the wrapping in cheesecloth when my mom will be visiting end of june to make my fridge slightly more presentable.

how do you handle visitors??  especially those with raw meat in the kitchen, lol. or am i the only one still hiding?

[wodgina]

I change but mainly hide unless family or longtime friends but sometimes when I'm really busy (late for work then go training etc) there's blood and bits of suet all over the kitchen counter/floor and  blood leaks all over my fridge. Then I'm not to keen on vistors!

[LePatron7]

I've been experimenting with dry aging my beef.

I usually defrost it without a bag on a plate, then cut it up and put it in jars. But due to laziness, and wanting to try something new. I've been cutting up just what I need for each meal.

Eventually the meat gets really dry on the outside, chewy, and an incredible flavor. I highly prefer dry aged beef. I use grass fed beef chuck roast from White Oak Pastures.

I have also dry aged the beef fat I get (once), it dries out a little and is also pretty tasty. Although the chuck roast dry aged is really, really good.

[eveheart]

I dry age large cuts of meat - large enough to keep the piece from drying out completely, even after more than a month. I live alone, but when someone else comes over, I make sure the blood puddles are wiped up. Liver especially is prone to blood puddles. Everybody who comes to my house knows I eat raw meat, so I have nothing to hide.

I have read various instructions about dry aging meat, and there are many temperature variations, time variations, seasoning, salting, dipping in melted fat, etc. In the end, I do what works best with the refrigerator I own. My (ex-)butcher was sure I would kill myself if I didn't salt my meat first, so I found another butcher.

[LePatron7]

I have read various instructions about dry aging meat, and there are many temperature variations, time variations, seasoning, salting, dipping in melted fat, etc. In the end, I do what works best with the refrigerator I own. My (ex-)butcher was sure I would kill myself if I didn't salt my meat first, so I found another butcher.

Lol imagine if he knew about high meat.

I just put a 3-4 lb slab of chuck roast on a plate and leave it there, flipping it over daily. It doesn't dry out immediately, and it barely leaks. But after a few days it gets really dry on the edges and flavorful. I do the same with the fat.

[eveheart]

I started out on plates, then on racks, then on hooks. Right now, I have about 15 pounds of beef hanging, two lamb livers hanging, and plates of little random organs, back fat and marrow bones lying around. By the time I eat the meat, it's fairly dry on the outside and very tender in the interior. I get the best results when I age the whole muscle untrimmed. If they trim the fat all away, it doesn't age right. I think the membrane protects the surface from getting too dry. On eye of round, there is a huge slab of backfat on one side, which is a plus. I don't cut away anything when I eat it. The edges are rind-y, the inside is an awesome delicacy.

Beef eye of round (whole, untrimmed) runs about 5 pounds for $5.99/lb. and is just the right size to hang without the weight of the meat tearing through the hook. I've tried other cuts from the sirloin and rump, but they are too big for me to hang correctly with my setup.

[LePatron7]

Are you supposed to trim away the parts that turned black? I kind of prefer that part. It's especially chewy and tasty.

[eveheart]

Are you supposed to trim away the parts that turned black? I kind of prefer that part. It's especially chewy and tasty.

I never trim away anything.

[LePatron7]

I never trim away anything.

Good to know. Thanks.

[svrn]

who cares about raw meat in the fridge. the meat in my fridge would be raw even if i ate cooked meat so it makes no difference.

My fridge is kind of bloody though lol looks kind of gruesome

[Alive]

 After a week in the fridge the meat is covered in a white mold - it was frozen so maybe the ice cell damage is making it harder to dry out? Has anyone dry aged frozen meat or had mold on their dry aged meat? Will it just go away as it drys out further? As seen on youtube I have put salt in a tray under the meat (not touching it) to absorb water in the fridge - so far there has been too much liquid dripping from the meat for this to work, so I am just emptying the run off and refreshing the salt hoping it will dry out soon.

[bookittyrun]

...

i was reading about how to dry-age meat. some like to wrap meat in cloth that is replaced daily, some just leave the meat to air dry. 

i've just been leaving my meat on a wire rack in the fridge, but wondered if anyone wraps in cloth?

personally, i don't wrap in cloth (not yet, at least)...  instead, i (currently) wrap in paper towel, and set on a plate, or in an unsealed/untopped container when storing in the fridge.  the paper towel is changed out daily, i don't like the idea of the meat sitting in a pool of wetness.  meat in the fridge is kept in the crisper drawer, so it's not out for viewing...  although i never have company over, anyway!

when i leave meat out of the fridge for a day, i place on a wire cooling rack (for baking cookies) with a plate underneath to catch drippings, or omit the plate and place the rack in the sink where it can just drip down the drain.  i then cover with a metal collander, so my daughter's dirty feline can't get to it before i do...

After a week in the fridge the meat is covered in a white mold - it was frozen so maybe the ice cell damage is making it harder to dry out? Has anyone dry aged frozen meat or had mold on their dry aged meat? Will it just go away as it drys out further? As seen on youtube I have put salt in a tray under the meat (not touching it) to absorb water in the fridge - so far there has been too much liquid dripping from the meat for this to work, so I am just emptying the run off and refreshing the salt hoping it will dry out soon.

i've never experienced any noticeable mold growth...  just very dark reddish colored.  all of my meats end up frozen either before purchase, or after...  the plate of salt may not be necessary?  a refrigerator removes moisture during normal operation (that's how it works)...  maybe try removing excess initial moisture by wrapping and pressing with a cloth before setting out on a rack?  try air drying in the sink (mentioned above) for a day or two, before placing in the fridge.  if you're placing a large chunk in the fridge, maybe try slicing into 3" - 5" slabs that won't retain inner moisture so long?  i dunno.  i guess if the white mold doesn't kill you, you can keep on with what you're doing...

[eveheart]

After a week in the fridge the meat is covered in a white mold - it was frozen so maybe the ice cell damage is making it harder to dry out? Has anyone dry aged frozen meat or had mold on their dry aged meat? Will it just go away as it drys out further? As seen on youtube I have put salt in a tray under the meat (not touching it) to absorb water in the fridge - so far there has been too much liquid dripping from the meat for this to work, so I am just emptying the run off and refreshing the salt hoping it will dry out soon.

I can't decide from your post if you are trying to age the meat or dry it - what I mean by "dry age" is to age a large chunk of meat so that the inside remains soft and moist like a cold cut, but without any seasoning. There is often some white mold on the outside of the meat. Since I am aging my meat with air circulation, I see no need to freeze it first. Not much liquid drips from the meat - maybe a few drops of blood, which I sponge up from the floor of the refrigerator. I age untrimmed muscles that have fat and connective tissue on the surface.

[Alive]

Hi Eveheart, my aim is to dry age the meat as you describe. The meat came frozen from the butcher. It is good to hear from you that the white mold is normal. I look forward to see what happens over the next few weeks 

[Iguana]

Tasty white mold pictures I already posted somewhere else:

[jessica]

yum Iguana,  how long have you been aging that piece

 I have piece and parts of stuff I couldn't chew through that is about 6 months old that has some of that nice molding, its truly a different taste, almost sweet in the mouth, but then complex like cheese.  I have been saving them in a cheese cloth type bag that is hung in my car right now actually, haha, but they have traveled with me and just kept aging along the way.

[bookittyrun]

i guess i haven't let it go quite that long before eating!

[Dr. D]

That is crazy long! It's got green with the white! I've only ever had white on mine after about 6 weeks. But the fridge was too cold and the others in the house couldn't change it.

I really wanna try that now Iguana. Is there a noticeable taste difference in that thick of mold and the early stages?

[Iguana]

I'm not sure how long it had been hung in my fridge, but it must have been about 2 months or a little more.

[primalgirl]

A BIG WOW! I'm impressed! The little dry aging I've done is this; two culotte steaks loosely wrapped in butcher paper, turned over every few days and after I don't remember how long it turned dark sort of hard and I sliced it thinly and it tasted just like salami, but without the salt. Amazing.